perfect trip!
2-Country 7-River route
Overview map
Bike Tour: 2-Country 7-River route - 9 days
The water in the rivers slowly flows past…. An (international) bike ride along rivers, from wide to narrow, rippling through a wide variety of beautiful landscapes, including the Eifel National Park. This gives you as a cyclist a wonderful feeling of peace. The busy shipping traffic on the Maas and Rhine adds an extra dimension to this.
Travel on your own to Bilderberg Hotel De Bovenste Molen **** in Venlo; at the beautifully situated hotel on the edge of Venlo, there is ample free parking.
Follow the numbered cycling route through the quiet suburbs of Venlo and past the station to the Maas; From here, follow the Maas route in a southerly direction on the right bank of the Maas. At the Monastery village of Steyl, cross the Maas with the ferry and continue the Maas route via the castle village of Baarlo to the characteristic Maas village of Kessel. Here cross again the Maas with the ferry and then continue the Maas route via the Drakendorp Beesel to Roermond. From the center of Roermond it is still a few water-rich kilometers to the town of Herten.
Follow the beautiful (numbered) cycling route through the valley of the Roer, via Sint Odiliënberg and Vlodrop, to the border with Germany. Near the village of Effeld, you will arrive on the RoerOever cycle path. The cycle path, partly gravel, meanders through the beautiful landscape and past idyllic villages. The town of Jülich is special, with the historic Citadel and the beautifully landscaped Brückenkopf Park. In Germany, enjoy tasty drinks / snacks on the many terraces along the route, which are called beer garden here!
If it is a rainy day, it is possible to view part of the route from the train (Rurtalbahn).
Today a super route; the further south, the more scenic beauty! (Eifel National Park). And that interspersed with picturesque villages, including Nideggen high on a rock with an ancient castle and the town of Heimbach, also known for it's castle. Beyond Heimbach, a short but challenging climb takes you to the Schwammenauel dam, followed by a 45-minute cruise on the Rursee (included in the price). From Rurberg the route continues on the Urft-Radweg, first a bit along the lake, where you can visit the Ordensburg Vogelsang. Further upstream are the Eifel villages Gemünd and Kall.
If it is a rainy day, it is possible to do part of the route by train (Rurtalbahn).
The route continues through the picturesque Eifel landscape towards the Rhine. After another short part with "false flat" along the river Urft, the town of Blankenheim is reached. Besides a beautiful medieval castle and many half-timbered houses, here is also the source of the Ahr river. And that means, always downhill on the "steel steed" through the valley of the Ahr. Sometimes between high rising hills, then again through a wide valley. When approaching Altenahr, the first vineyards appear on the southern slopes! Cheers!
Another 25 km paddle through the Ahr valley, on cycle paths along the vineyards and through characteristic wine towns such as Mayschoss, Dernau and Ahrweiler. Past Bad Neuenahr, a well-known spa town, the cycle tour along the Ahr ends in Sinzig with the centuries-old Sankt-Petrus church (1225) as the eye-catcher. Then cycle on the Rhein-Radweg (EuroVelo 15) to the luxurious overnight stop of Bad Godesberg.
Once again you can fully enjoy the Rhine today with the busy shipping traffic. There is also a possibility for a bit of sailing, e.g. from Bonn to Cologne. But it will be difficult to choose, with cities like Bonn (the former Bundeshauptstadt and Beethoven's hometown) and Cologne (Cologne Cathedral) en route. Today it leads partly on the right bank of the Rhine (“right Rhine”) and these are also nice “back and forth” boat trips with the Fähre (ferry). The finish today is also on the right bank of the Rhine, in Monheim am Rhein (a few kilometers south of Düsseldorf). Should it heavily rain today, it is possible to view part of the route from the train (e.g. from Bonn to Cologne).
Today the last beautiful kilometers along the Rhine, both right-Rhine and left-Rhine. A visit to Düsseldorf, and the possibility of a bike ride on the world famous Königsallee, is one of the highlights of this cycling holiday.
Before arriving in Venlo, you still have over 40 very nice kilometers ahead of you. The bike ride along the river Niers is a good example of the impressive landscape in the Niederrhein region. The cycle path on the route of a former local railway line (the BahnRadweg) is also a unique cycling experience. And if desired, we have an extra ten kilometers in store for the diehards, and a detour from Grefrath can be made to the monumental town of Wachtendonk. The very last beautiful kilometers then lead through a beautiful nature reserve (Naturpark Schwalm-Nette) to the finish line in the Jammerdal, which name has a double meaning here: unfortunately, end of cycling holiday! ('Jammer' is Dutch for 'unfortunately'.)
| Price pp | € | |
| Double room, breakfast | 650.00 | |
| Single room, breakfast | 910.00 | |
| Dinner | 220.00 | |
| Extra night (breakfast only) | 65.00 | |
| Rental bike | € | |
| Hybrid | 135.00 | |
| Ebike | 180.00 | |
| Extra services | € | |
| Bike theft insurance | € 3.00 x 8 | 24.00 |
| E-bike theft insurance | € 6.00 x 8 | 48.00 |
| Bike helmet | per piece | 12.50 |
| SGR | per piece | 5.00 |
The hotels on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the hotels we work with appears below. If a certain hotel is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will request a comparable alternative.
Our hybrid bikes are Giant Aero RS2 or similar bikes
Assembly: with Shimano Deore (24 gears)
Brakes: Shimano rimbrakes (hand brakes)
Pedals: Flat pedals
Weight: ca. 16,5 kg
The e-bikes have a small electric engine and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric engine.
The e-bikes are Kalkhoff 2.0 Impulse or similar with 7 gears
They have a Bosch 500 Wh middle engine with a range of approx. 100km (normal use)
Brakes: rimbrakes
Pedals: Flat pedals
Weight: ca. 27 kilo.
Our premium bikes have 27-gears
The bikes are aluminium Giant Aero RS1 or similar bikes
Assembly: Shimano Deore XT
Brakes: Shimano Deore rimbrakes (hand brakes)
Saddle: Selle Royal Sport
Pedals: Flat pedals (SPD or SPD-SL on request)
Weight: ca. 14 kg
Our childbikes are Giant, Merida or Golden Lion (aluminium)
Assembly: Shimano 7 gears
Brakes: Shimano (handbrakes)
Pedals: Flat pedals
Weight: ca. 14kg
Our roadbikes are Carbon Giant TCR/Defy, or Merida Reacto or similar
Assembly: Shimano 105 or Ultegra 20 gears
Brakes: Shimano 105 or Ultegra rim brakes
Pedals: We can provide flat pedals, toeclips, SPD, SPD-SL, Look or Keo pedals
Weight: depends on model and type but from 8,5 - 10 kg
Attention: If you rent a roadbike, those won't be provided with panniers
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
Brakes
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
Childseat
For children up to 30 months old (max. 15 KG) it is possible to rent a front child seat. This is not possible with e-bikes, due to the display.
For children older than 30 months (max. 22KG) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.
Helmet
Helmets are not mandatory in Belgium, but can be rented. Most of the helmets are Lazer Compact helmets or Polisport
Available sizes: M, L and XL and also child helmets
Lights
All our bikes come with both front- and rear lights. You need to push the button on the lamp and it will flash three times. This means that the lights will automatically start working when it gets dark.
When you push again, the lamp will flash one time and the lights will be turned off.
Locks
All our bikes have locks on the bikes and we also provide one extra chain lock per couple of bikes.
Our e-bikes come with a defender lock with plug in chain (cable lock that is attached to the regular lock, see picture).
You need to turn the key a bit, take out the pin from the cable lock and attach it to a pole/other bike/fence etc.
When you push the pin back into the regular lock, you need to lock the regular lock as you always do, and both locks will be secured.
Pannier
1 pannier is included at the 'standard' bikes and the e-bikes.
Height: 42 cm
Depth front to the side: 17 cm
Wide top: 32 cm
Wide down: 23 cm
Volume: 20 liters
It has an easy click-on/click-off system. The panniers are water resistant, so everything will stay dry.
Pedals
The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals or toe-clips.
Quickrelease
All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars.
Repairkit
All bike are provided with a small repairkit including an extra inner tube, chain rivet extractor and hand pump. There is also one First Aid Kit per couple of bikes. Please leave this always in the bike after your tour!
Saddle
Saddles can be adjusted in height without using any tools, see ‘Quick Release’.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover.
Waterbottles
Belgian Biketours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.
Our tandems are Multicycle, Sparta or Gazelle (all aluminium)
Assembly: Shimano Deore LX or Deore XT
Brakes: rim brakes Shimano Deore
Pedals: Flat pedals
Weight: ca. 30 kg
For a hybrid bike: € 3,00 per day per bicycle.
For an electric bicycle: € 6,00 per day per bicycle.
Please see the General Terms and Conditions for Bicycle Hire and Insurance.
Article 1 Bike Rental Price
The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the Belgian Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.
Article 2 Payment
a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.
b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, Belgian Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.
c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.
Article 3 Rental Period
a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (the day before departure day), as stated in the booking confirmation.
b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.
c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.
d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip.
e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).
f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. Belgian Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.
Article 4 Improper Use
a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.
b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.
c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.
d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.
Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft
The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.
Article 6 Theft Insurance
It is possible to purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance. Covered are: damages arising out of the theft of the bicycle; and damages to the bicycle as a consequence of the theft. Not covered are: theft of bicycle parts; and damages arising out of attempted theft.
Article 7 Theft Insurance Premium
a. The premium for Bicycle Theft Insurance is € 3,00 per day per bicycle. For an electric bicycle € 6,00.
The number of insurance days is the same as the number of cycling days as stated in our booking confirmation.
Article 8 Liability in the Event of Theft
a. If you did not purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us before the start of the holiday, you will be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
b. If you did purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us, but you failed to lock the wheel lock and failed to produce the original wheel lock key and failed to produce an official theft report drawn up by the police, you will still be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
Article 9 Costs During the Rental Period
Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.
8 Nights included
3/4 Star Hotels
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included, Halfboard optional
Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information
The possibility of renting our bikes
7-days a week service-hotline
Luggage transport to your next hotel
Venlo CS
Parking possibilities at the hotel
GPS-tracks availible
Boat trip on the Rursee is included
Any other ferry crossings are not included
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